Qatar’s emir, US president discuss developments in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Friday discussed with US President Joe Biden the developments of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

According to a statement by the Qatari royal court, cited by the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sheikh Tamim received a phone call from Biden to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories.

The American president thanked Sheikh Tamim for Qatar's "diplomatic and humanitarian efforts and endeavors [...] regarding the situation in Gaza."

The statement quoted Qatar's Emir stressing the necessity to "keep the crossings open for the sustainable entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in order to promote peace and stability in the Middle East region."

"The two sides also discussed the Qatar-US strategic relations and means of boosting and developing them," the statement also said.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,083 Palestinians and injuring 64,487. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar